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A collection of 141 Roman gold coins, known as solidi, has been discovered in the village of Holzthum in Northern Luxembourg. This remarkable find occurred during several years of excavation at the site, where the coins were unearthed near the foundations of a small, tower-like Roman fort. These solidi, which portrayed nine emperors, were struck between AD 364 and 408. Three of these solidi portrayed the usurper Eugenius, who reigned AD 392-394 (pictured above). https://archaeologymag.com/2025/01/roman-gold-coins-in-luxembourg Eugenius was defeated by Theodosius (with the aid of the Bora winds) at the Battle of Frigidus in AD 394:

Arsinoë IV was the sister of Cleopatra and claimed the throne alongside her brother, Ptolemy XIII, in opposition to Cleopatra. She was captured during a conflict with Julius Caesar and subsequently exiled to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Later, at the request of Cleopatra VII, she was executed by orders from Mark Antony in 41 BCE. An octagonal tomb dating between 50 and 20 BCE was discovered in Ephesus. In 1926, the skeleton of a young person, estimated to be between 15 and 18 years old, was found at the site. The skull, however, was lost until 2022. This unusual octagonal tomb is believed to represent the Pharos Lighthouse in Alexandria, and it was previously hypothesized that the remains belonged to Arsinoë. Recent studies have revealed that the skull actually belonged to a male. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-83870-x https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsinoe_IV

The beautiful Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles California is threatened by the latest fires (see video below). Although its grounds are on fire, the priceless ancient Roman and Greek artifacts are undamaged (so far). The Villa is a reconstruction of the Villa dei Papiri found in Pompeii, Italy. Picture of the Getty Villa before the fires https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getty_Villa

Roman mosaics dating from the third century AD were found in Western Turkey in Heraclea at Latmo. A Roman-era bath floor was decorated with mosaics depicting crocodiles, eels, dolphins, and flamingos. Crocodiles were found among the depictions on the mosaics. Interestingly, these animals are not found in the area so it’s assumed that the artist who made the mosaic had some exposure to crocodiles before working in the area. https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/archaeology/turkey-mosaics-with-crocodiles-and-flamingos-discovered-at-heraclea-al-latmo#:~:text=Important archaeological discoveries in Turkey,Mugla province%2C Milas district). https://arkeonews.net/roman-bath-and-magnificent-mosaics-used-as-stables-by-the-villagers-for-many-years/#google_vignette

A third-century AD Jewish lamp decorated with a menorah was discovered on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem's Old City. This find is particularly significant because the Romans destroyed the city and expelled the Jews following the disastrous Bar Kokhba Revolt in AD 135. The lamp, created a century later, may serve as evidence of a continued Jewish presence in the city despite the Roman suppression of their faith after the revolt. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1-700-year-old-oil-lamp-found-in-jerusalem-shows-a-rare-jewish-menorah-even-though-the-romans-tried-to-suppress-the-religion

Here is an interesting article about discoveries made along a Roman road in Pacé, Brittany, France (see picture below). Among the findings, which date from both the Roman and Medieval eras, was a gold Roman ring (pictured above) engraved with the image of Venus Victrix. This ring dates back to the second or third century AD. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/exceptionally-well-preserved-gold-ring-featuring-venus-the-victorious-unearthed-on-ancient-road-in-france-180985770/ https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/1-800-year-old-gold-ring-with-venus-the-victorious-carving-discovered-in-france

An interesting article indicates that the new year began in the earliest Roman calendar in March. https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/march-the-beginnings-of-time-in-the-roman-calendar https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/March January - Wikipedia

An interesting article from Antigone is entitled "The Practical Case for Studying Latin." The Practical Case for Studying Latin – Antigone

A sixth-century sword from an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in rural Kent (see map below) has been discovered. The weapon is in exceptional state with pieces of its leather and wood scabbard, as well as the beaver fur lining still intact. The blade had runic script. https://archaeologymag.com/2024/12/6th-century-sword-unearthed-in-anglo-saxon-cemetery/

Two thieves were arrested after stealing hundreds of Ancient Greek and Roman artifacts from the bottom of the sea near Alexandria, Egypt. The thieves had retrieved 448 relics, including 305 coins, 53 statues, 41 axes, 20 bronze objects, 14 bronze cups, 12 spears, and three statue heads. https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/12/26/thieves-greek-artifacts/amp/

I guess a previous post had answered the above question a few years ago (see post below): Although the bubonic plague has existed for thousands of years, the genetically different strains of Yersinia pestis had different degrees of virulence and, therefore, different societal impacts.

The Black Death was a devastating pandemic that swept across Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which was transmitted by fleas that infested rats. The infection resulted in swollen and painful lymph nodes, known as buboes, which is why it is commonly referred to as the Bubonic Plague. . Ancient disease discovered in ancient DNA of Egyptian mummy Comments: I wonder if some major plagues in Ancient Rome were caused by the Bubonic Plague.

Another article on this incredible find: World's 'best-preserved' baby woolly mammoth found after 50,000 years

A well-preserved baby mammoth was discovered in Siberia. It is the best preserved mammoth carcass ever found and thought to be 50,000 years old. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy47xj4lpyzo

The ancient Roman warehouse in the forum in Rome will be open for business. Known as the Horrea Piperataria, it was used to store pepper and spice. https://www..com/news/romes-ancient-spice-stores-open-to-visitors.html

Here is the original article on the find. (The English translation can be found in upper right corner.) https://frankfurt.de/aktuelle-meldung/meldungen/frankfurter-silberinschrift/

After the torso of Septimius Severus was repatriated from the New York Metropolitan museum to Turkey in 2023 (see text below), the head was finally repatriated from Copenhagen to be reunited with its torso. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-ancient-statue-of-a-roman-emperor-will-finally-be-reunited-with-its-head-180985662/

Here are a list of the “Top 10 Discoveries of 2024.” Some of these stories have been written about at this site. https://archaeology.org/collection/top-10-discoveries-of-2024/

Artimi: You know as well as anyone on this site that the word “ancient” means different things to different people. I have no idea which book is best but if you want a book that exams Afghanistan history from Alexander the Great to modern times, this book comes highly recommended. (I have not read this book, however.)

Researchers discovered 127 different human remains in a Roman burial ground in Frankfurt, Germany, but one body stood out. This individual was a man aged between 35 and 45 who was found with a Christian amulet (see photo above). The burial site is dated between AD 230 and 270, nearly fifty years earlier than the previously known Christian artifacts from the region. This discovery may represent the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. The amulet, originally found in 2018, was recently "digitally unwrapped" using a computed tomography scan and translated. It showed a Christian inscription written in Latin: https://archaeologymag.com/2024/12/oldest-evidence-of-christianity-north-of-the-alps/#:~:text=The artifact%2C a silver amulet,region by nearly 50 years

Here is an article (academic article below) on the Roman road in the Golan Heights from the second century AD. https://m.jpost.com/archaeology/article-833498 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03344355.2024.2327802#abstract

A Previous post mentioned this rare Brutus aureus (only 17 of its kind) being up for auction. It has sold for more than 2 million dollars.

Aquileia, located in Northeast Italy (refer to the map below), was an important Roman city that was completely destroyed by Attila the Hun in AD 452. Recent excavations at the site have begun to reveal its extensive size (see video below). Notably, recent discoveries in the remains of the Aquileia Baths have uncovered an apse along with fragments of statues and columns. https://greekreporter.com/2024/12/12/massive-ancient-roman-structure-aquileia-baths-italy/ https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article296827954.html

Here is another article on the find with some more details. Many of the 337 coins discovered had the image of Cleopatra VII. https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/science/statue-discovered-at-cleopatras-alleged-tomb-reveals-her-true-face-scientist-claims/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=message_app